Bessma Momani
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bmomani.bsky.social
Bessma Momani
@bmomani.bsky.social
3.1K followers 980 following 320 posts

Professor at the University of Waterloo and Senior Fellow at CIGI, interested in International Affairs and geopolitics of technology.

Videos
Political science 34%
Economics 31%
Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Bessma Momani

carnage4life.bsky.social
Dare Obasanjo @carnage4life.bsky.social · 14h
One of the most startling statistics from OpenRouter’s State of AI report is that there is more usage of Open Source models like DeepSeek and LLaMa for AI girlfriends than for programming.

I’m sure selection bias plays a part but it seems the loneliness epidemic and AI is an under-explored subject.

Reposted by Rebecca Williams, Carlos Nunes Silva, Bessma Momani

watershedlab.bsky.social
Dr Dan Shugar 🇨🇦 @watershedlab.bsky.social · 14h
🚨Extremely short notice: Looking for prospective PhD or postdoc w/ geological engineering or modelling experience, w/ interests in mountain geohazards for project focused on landslide-triggered tsunamis in subarctic w/ me & @geocron.bsky.social 🧵 🧪⚒️ Pls share!

nserc-crsng.canada.ca/en/news/laun...
Launch of new Canada Impact+ Research Training Awards
As announced in Budget 2025 -
nserc-crsng.canada.ca

Reposted by Will Jennings, Steve Peers, Rosemary A. Joyce , and 4 more

pwnallthethings.bsky.social
Pwnallthethings @pwnallthethings.bsky.social · 1d
Cool how we are smuggling domestic news in over the border from canada and people having to share it on bulletproof hosting providers to stop the government and media owners taking it down

Reposted by Bessma Momani

gord.games
Gord Little @gord.games · 1d
In Canada, the 60 Minutes clip about CECOT that Bari Weiss canned was broadcast. @jasonparis.bsky.social‬ captured it. Enjoy. Bluesky only allows 3 minute videos max. I hope this works. 1/5.

Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, Rebecca Tushnet, David R. Miller , and 3 more

paleofuture.bsky.social
Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 2d
Trump says he’s appointing Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry as “special envoy” to Greenland.

Landry has previously expressed support for Trump’s plan to invade Greenland.
Trump: I am pleased to announce that I am appointing the GREAT Governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landry, as the United States Special Envoy to Greenland. Jeff understands how essential Greenland is to our National Security, and will strongly advance our Country's Interests for the Safety, Security, and Survival of our Allies, and indeed, the World. Congratulations Jeff! 4 ReTruths 18 Likes 12/21/25, 6:21 PM

Reposted by Bessma Momani

debcha.bsky.social
Deb Chachra @debcha.bsky.social · 2d
The work that scholars and researchers actually do is the work that people *think* AI is doing. You read all sorts of things. You make connections. You notice where the holes are — what *hasn’t* been observed, questioned, investigated. You synthesize it into something that has never existed before.

Reposted by Bessma Momani

us.theconversation.com
The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com · 2d
ByteDance’s agreement to sell TikTok puts app’s algorithm in the spotlight – a social media expert explains how the ‘For You’ page works and what’s to come buff.ly/JjOckYg
ByteDance’s agreement to sell TikTok puts app’s algorithm in the spotlight – a social media expert explains how the ‘For You’ page works and what’s to come
With a change of ownership in the works, TikTok’s algorithm – the secret sauce of its success – is going to be reset for US users. What differences users will see is unclear, but changes are coming.
theconversation.com

Reposted by Bessma Momani

washingtonpost.com
The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 4d
Indian H-1B visa holders who traveled back to India this month to renew their American work permits are now stranded after their appointments were abruptly canceled and rescheduled for months later, according to immigration lawyers.
H-1B workers flew to India to renew U.S. visas. Now they’re stuck.
H-1B holders who returned to India this month to renew their visas had consular appointments canceled, stranding them far from their homes and jobs, lawyers said.
www.washingtonpost.com

bmomani.bsky.social
Bessma Momani @bmomani.bsky.social · 4d
😂

bmomani.bsky.social
Bessma Momani @bmomani.bsky.social · 4d
Wow. Thank you for sharing that. Young academics are so hard on themselves not finding a position but these odds are crazy, even with a solid and remarkable record. Be kind to yourselves, people!

Reposted by Bessma Momani

bloomberg.com
Bloomberg News @bloomberg.com · 4d
The world’s biggest Earth science conference had a shocking backdrop this year, with the Trump administration announcing that it plans to close an iconic climate research lab. Suffice to say, that changed the tone of the gathering.
Five Takeaways From the World’s Biggest Earth Science Meeting
The world’s biggest Earth science conference had a shocking backdrop this year, with the Trump administration announcing that it plans to close an iconic climate research lab. Suffice to say, that changed the tone of the gathering.
bloom.bg

Reposted by Bessma Momani

washingtonpost.com
The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 4d
The Trump administration has moved to appeal a federal judge’s ruling in favor of Harvard University on research funding, signaling that its high-profile fight with the university continues.
Trump administration appeals ruling in Harvard research funding case
A district judge’s ruling had restored funding to the university.
www.washingtonpost.com

Reposted by Richard S.J. Tol, Bessma Momani, Alfie Kohn , and 1 more

darrigomelanie.bsky.social
Melanie D’Arrigo @darrigomelanie.bsky.social · 4d
The 6 richest men in the world are all Trump allies.

They control your algorithms and data on X, TikTok, Twitch, Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads, and YouTube.

Just in case you’re wondering why more isn’t done to stop right-wing bots and misinformation on social media.

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Mark D. White, Robert C. Richards , and 3 more

bachynski.bsky.social
Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 4d
New School “administrators have started to implement a plan to close, overhaul or merge about 30 academic programs or majors; pause nearly all admissions to doctoral programs; and offer buyouts or early retirement to what professors say is about 40 percent of the full-time faculty.”
Falling Enrollment, Money Woes: The New School Seeks a Path to Survival
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Bessma Momani, Simon Lester

apnews.com
The Associated Press @apnews.com · 5d
Police are investigating a link between the Brown University shooting and the killing of an MIT professor, AP sources say.
Police are investigating link between Brown shooting and killing of MIT professor, AP sources say
Authorities are investigating a connection between the mass hooting at Brown University and the killing of an MIT professor, according to three people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.
bit.ly

Reposted by Richard S.J. Tol, Stefan Rahmstorf, Gavin A. Schmidt , and 18 more

atrupar.com
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 5d
FOX: If you cut something by 100%, the cost goes down to 0. If you cut it by 600%, the drug companies are actually paying you

LUTNICK: What he's saying is if a drug was $100 and you bring it down to $13, it's down 7 times

F: Not a 600% cut

L: But it's 700% higher price before. It's down 700% now

bmomani.bsky.social
Bessma Momani @bmomani.bsky.social · 6d
“Canada’s population fell by roughly 76,000 over the 3rd quarter, largest decline this country has seen in records dating to the 1940s, and a result of major policy changes by Ottawa to curb immigration” gift link www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/ce33a5b...
Canada reports biggest population decline on record
Drop marks the country’s first population decrease outside the pandemic, as Ottawa moves to curb immigration
www.theglobeandmail.com

Reposted by Tom Griffin, Bessma Momani

sandertordoir.bsky.social
Sander Tordoir @sandertordoir.bsky.social · 6d
Woah.

Potentially a big story.

A shenzhen team completed a working prototype of a EUV machine - ASML's most cutting edge - in early 2025. It was built by former ASML engineers, but has not yet produced working chips.

China hopes to produce by 2028-30.

www.reuters.com/world/china/...
Exclusive: How China built its ‘Manhattan Project’ to rival the West in AI chips
In a high-security Shenzhen laboratory, Chinese scientists have built a prototype of a machine capable of producing cutting-edge semiconductor chips that power artificial intelligence, smartphones and...
www.reuters.com

Reposted by Bessma Momani

chadbourn.bsky.social
Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 6d
Venezuela’s government has ordered its Navy to escort ships carrying oil out of port following Trump's blockade announcement.

This has the potential to go very badly.

Reposted by Bessma Momani

haleaziz.bsky.social
Hamed Aleaziz @haleaziz.bsky.social · 6d
SCOOP: The Trump administration plans to ramp up efforts to strip some naturalized Americans of their citizenship, according to internal guidance obtained by The New York Times.

www.nytimes.com/2025/12/17/u...
Trump Administration Aims to Strip More Foreign-Born Americans of Citizenship
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Shannon Vallor, Will Jennings, Steve Peers , and 6 more

bencollins.bsky.social
Tim Onion @bencollins.bsky.social · 6d
The Onion, 23 years ago.

theonion.com/no-blood-for...
Point/Counterpoint: No Blood For Oil vs. Exactly How Much Oil Are We Talking About?

Reposted by Suzana J. Camargo, John Horgan, Steve Peers , and 12 more

milesklee.bsky.social
chopped unc crisis hotline @milesklee.bsky.social · 6d
Academics and technologists are sounding the alarm about a growing crisis in scholarship as we know it: AI-generated citations of nonexistent papers that have infested real journals. Despite being fake, the sources are widely assumed to be authentic the more they appear in published literature.
AI Is Inventing Academic Papers That Don't Exist -- And They're Being Cited in Real Journals
Academic articles from authors using large language model are creating an ecosystem of fake research that threatens human knowledge itself.
www.rollingstone.com

Reposted by Kim L. Scheppele, Kimberly A. Prather, Joe R. Feagin , and 18 more

colincarlson.bsky.social
Colin Carlson @colincarlson.bsky.social · 7d
NSF is about to dismantle NCAR at Russell Vought's direction to protect the fossil fuel industry. It's hard to communicate just how much NCAR does, so let's take a look: I've never worked at NCAR, and I've worked with NCAR researchers once ever. What scientific discoveries has NCAR made possible? 👇
Russ Vought (piss man) tweet about doing piss man shit: The National Science Foundation will be breaking up the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado. This facility is one of the largest sources of climate alarmism in the country. A comprehensive review is underway & any vital activities such as weather research will be moved to another entity or location.

Reposted by Katharine Hayhoe, Elizabeth Saunders, Rebecca Solnit , and 66 more

usatoday.com
USA TODAY @usatoday.com · 7d
Exclusive: The Trump administration is moving to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, according to a senior White House official, taking aim at one of the world's leading climate research labs.
Trump moves to dismantle major US climate research center in Colorado
The Trump administration is breaking up the National Center for Atmospheric Research, taking aim at one of the world's leading climate research labs.
bit.ly

Reposted by Bessma Momani

markmackinnon.bsky.social
Mark MacKinnon @markmackinnon.bsky.social · 7d
"From Nepal to Peru, and Indonesia to Madagascar, a wave of Gen Z protests has surged across continents."

“'They’re after a total systemic overhaul.'"

Fascinating read from @samedwards.bsky.social
Gen Z helped topple governments around the world in 2025. What comes next?
From Nepal to Peru, movements with disparate causes fought corruption and inequality, sometimes with deadly consequences
www.theglobeandmail.com

Reposted by Bessma Momani

greyson.bsky.social
Devon Greyson @greyson.bsky.social · 7d
The gutting of peer scientific review, more broadly, is about the deconstruction of expertise and traditional scientific metrics of credibility. Trying to lower the curtain on the era of evidence-based practice.
markhisted.org Mark Histed @markhisted.org · 8d
Well, this is an utter disaster for science.

This gutting of peer review is very likely driven by Project 2025/OMB/Vought, very likely is about funding junk science, and very likely is coming for #NIH and biomedical research next.
🧪

Reposted by Sara B. Hobolt, Justin H. Kirkland, Simon Weschle , and 4 more

lsegovernment.bsky.social
LSE Department of Government @lsegovernment.bsky.social · 8d
🚨We're #hiring!

We're looking for a #Research #Fellow to join our team. The successful candidate will be part of the research project "Political #Finance in #Africa" led by Associate Professor @sarahbrierley.bsky.social for 2 years.

🗓️Apply by Monday 12 January 👇🏽

jobs.lse.ac.uk/Vacancies/W/...
Research Fellow (Political Finance in Africa (POLFINA))
Research Fellow (Political Finance in Africa (POLFINA)), , <p style="background: white; margin: 0cm; text-align: center;"><em><span style="color: #333333;">LSE is committed to building a diverse, equi...
jobs.lse.ac.uk

Reposted by Carl T. Bergstrom, Scott L. Greer, Steve Peers , and 11 more

markhisted.org
Mark Histed @markhisted.org · 8d
Well, this is an utter disaster for science.

This gutting of peer review is very likely driven by Project 2025/OMB/Vought, very likely is about funding junk science, and very likely is coming for #NIH and biomedical research next.
🧪
Science in reviewing grant proposals. The changes permit as few as one outside review rather than the current minimum of three, end the routine use of expert panels to discuss those individual reviews, and give program managers greater authority to recommend which proposals should or should not be funded. They are described in an internal 1 December staff memo that Science has obtained and mentioned briefly in an update to NSF's grantmaking manual posted on 8 December. A major reason for the smaller staff is the elimination of hundreds of so-called rotators, scientists on loan from academia who served as program managers as well as higher level administrators. Their absence, combined with the new review policy, represent a major change in how NSF

Reposted by Bessma Momani

stephaniecarvin.bsky.social
Stephanie Carvin @stephaniecarvin.bsky.social · 8d
Carleton’s Centre for European Studies welcomes applicants for the 2026 Konrad Adenauer Visiting Scholarship on Transatlantic Relations. A great opportunity for an early career researcher or established scholar on sabbatical. carleton.ca/ces/konrad-a...
Konrad Adenauer Visiting Scholarship on Transatlantic Relations
The Konrad Adenauer Visiting Scholarship on Transatlantic Relations is a joint initiative by the Centre for European Studies (CES) and the Konrad Adenauer
carleton.ca

Reposted by Steve Peers, Bessma Momani, Stephen Ryan

jorgeliboreiro.bsky.social
Jorge Liboreiro @jorgeliboreiro.bsky.social · 8d
🧵 Let's break down the six security guarantees that European leaders have just committed to Ukraine as part of a future peace deal.

Note: this is a commitment on paper for now.